Contact:
Dance New Amsterdam
Amanda Szeglowski
(212) 625-8369 x226 aszeglowski@dnadance.org

February 9, 2009

(New York, NY) - Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) is pleased to present a collaborative arts event, Isadora Goes Downtown: the woman. the inspiration. the legacy. On Monday, February 9, 2009 DNA invites art lovers to embrace Isadora. The dynamic threefold event will include: a visual art exhibit of historic photography of Isadora Duncan lining DNA's gallery walls; a slide show of works by Sabrina Jones, author/illustrator of Isadora Duncan: A Graphic Biography, and live performance by Lori Belilove joined by young Duncan dancers the Beliloveables in DNA's theater; and a post-performance reception with book signing and selling by Jones.

The following multi-media events take place on Monday, February 9:

· Gallery Exhibit Opening at 7:00pm
DNA's 2nd Floor Gallery Space
The visual art installation will include historic photographs and inspired visual art of Isadora Duncan as well as various dance artists influenced by Isadora's visionary aesthetic, select pieces from Isadora Duncan: A Graphic Biography, and mixed-media art from Isadora Duncan to Lori Belilove - exploring the women, the inspiration, and the rich historical legacy of Isadora Duncan dance. Photographers & artists featured in this exhibit are: Hal Eastman, Rose Eichenbaum, David Fullard, Sabrina Jones, Jack Mitchell, Margaretta K. Mitchell, and Vladimir Lupovskoy. The photographs will be exhibited February 9-March 1 in DNA's 2nd Floor Gallery at 280 Broadway (entrance at 53 Chambers). This Exhibit has been funded in part by a grant from New York State Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick through the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
DNA's Gallery Hours are 9am - 9pm Monday - Sunday

· Slide Show/Book Signing & Selling at 7:30pm
DNA's Theater & Gallery
Writer and illustrator Sabrina Jones will give attendees a peek into her new book, Isadora Duncan: A Graphic Biography. Jones will present a brief slide show in the theater leading into a performance by Lori Belilove & the Beliloveables. Belilove wrote the foreword for the book which will be available for signing and purchase in the gallery post-performance.

· Live Performance by Lori Belilove & the Beliloveables at 7:45pm
DNA's Theater
Artistic Director Lori Belilove and the Beliloveables will perform highlights from Duncan's repertory including solos, duets and ensemble pieces. Belilove will introduce the performances and reveal Isadora downtown at Dance New Amsterdam. As Wendy Perron of Dance Magazine stated, "Lori Belilove is arguably the best, most devoted Duncan interpreter in the U.S."

A post-performance reception will follow in DNA's 2nd floor gallery space.

There is no charge for admission to these events, but R.S.V.P. is required. Please email Stewart Schulman, Manager of Individual Giving & Special Events to make reservations, sschulman@dnadance.org. Questions may also be addressed to Stewart at 212.625.8369 extension 221 or Kaitlin Hines, Manager of Public & Private Development at extension 233.

The Isadora Duncan Dance Company, under the artistic direction of third-generation Duncan dancer Lori Belilove, is the pre-eminent Isadora Duncan dance company performing today. The Company performs Isadora Duncan's repertoire with a purity of style and execution of movement hailed by the international press, critics and audiences. As a creative team, the Company delves into new artistic territory while exploring ways to deliver the essence of Isadora into the 21st Century, through programs incorporating text, multi-media, and theatrical elements. In addition, the Company performs contemporary choreography by Artistic Director, Lori Belilove.

The company celebrates Isadora's essence maintaining Duncan's technique of using the solar plexus and the torso as the generating force for all movements to follow. All the free and natural movements of the Isadora Duncan technique were inspired by the classical Greek arts, folk dances, social dances, nature and natural forces as well as her unique approach to the new American athleticism which included skipping, running, jumping, leaping and tossing. The Duncan simplicity may have seemed oceanic in depth but it was supported by a technique, spirit and passion which has left Isadora credited with inventing what later came to be known as Modern Dance.

The all-female company is a spirited ensemble of highly trained dancers - both mature artists and fresh faces in the New York dance scene. Each dancer has received extensive training and private coaching in the Isadora Duncan technique from generations of noted Duncan dancers from Isadora's European, Russian and American schools. The Company dancers are distinguished by their deeply felt connection to Duncan's legacy and to Belilove's interpretive vision and aesthetic. The Company is joined in selected performances by its junior company the Beliloveables, a talented group of young Duncan dancers trained exclusively by Lori Belilove. Lori Belilove's Isadora Duncan Dance Company has toured extensively nationally and internationally, performing in dance festivals in Europe, Mexico, South America and Canada. In Athens, Greece, the company's performance in Isadora's newly restored home received national TV coverage. The company toured three cities in Germany: Cologne, Aachen and Bonn, appeared at the Design Exchange in Toronto, and participated in numerous dance festivals in Mexico City. The Company was invited to perform at the Theater of the Russian Army in Budapest for dignitaries welcoming modern dance back into their country, and has performed in three venues in Moscow, exposing a new generation to Isadora's Soviet Workers' Songs. The Company has appeared on stages constructed within ancient Greek temple sites in Italy, Sicily and Malta, bringing Isadora's choreography of Gluck's Orfeo to life under theatrical lighting and a full moon. The Company has appeared nationally in diverse settings ranging from the college and
university circuit to performing arts centers, museums and outdoor festivals. In Ohio they have performed at the Dayton Art Institute, the Victoria Theater, Oberlin College and Wright State University. On tour in California, the company has performed at Mills College, Chapman University, Center for the Arts in Nevada City, Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley, Theater Artaud and City College of San Francisco. In Florida, the Company has performed at the Cummer Museum and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville as well as the Philips Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Florida, Gainsville. In recent New York seasons the Company has appeared at the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, Duke on 42nd Street, Symphony Space, Ailey Citigroup Theater, and the historic Judson Memorial Church Theater. Complete performance history is available upon request.

Lori Belilove, Artistic Director
Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation
141 West 26th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001
tel: 212-691-5040 fax: 212-627-0774
info@isadoraduncan.org www.isadoraduncan.org
"Brilliant" -The New York Times "Dazzling blend of energy" -The Dayton Daily News
"Glorious" -Dance Magazine

Sabrina Jones, Author/Illustrator has edited and contributed to many issues of the political comic book World War 3 Illustrated, including Female Complaints, Bitchcraft, and Life During Wartime. She has created non-fiction comics for Wobblies! A Graphic History of the Industrial Workers of the World, The Real Cost of Prisons, and a graphic adaptation of Studs Terkel's Working. She co-founded and edited Girltalk, an anthology of women's autobiographical comics published by Fantagraphics. Sabrina studied painting at Pratt Institute and illustration at the School of Visual Arts. She lives in Brooklyn.

Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) is Lower Manhattan's newest home for "downtown" dance - dance that challenges, expects attention and gives each viewer permission to experience art as a response to our daily existence. DNA is proud to present and promote artistic excellence in dance performance, education and the creation process. An incomparable resource, DNA's 25,000 square foot facility is a pioneer infrastructure for the performing arts by housing both a professional theater and education center — nurturing dance in all its forms and guiding dancers through the various stages of their career. In DNA's studios each week, 160 classes are taught, rehearsals are run, workshops are conducted and choreography is created. DNA is a valuable resource for the aspiring, emerging and established artist, who benefit from artistic residencies, studio and administrative office subsidies, commissions and two performance seasons that offer presentations of new dance works, many of them world premieres. Founded in 1984 in NoHo and originally known as Dance Space Center, DNA changed its name when it moved to 280 Broadway in February 2006. The state-of-the-art facilities include a professional 130-seat theater, six studios, a wellness program, two galleries and a reception space. DNA was the first not-for-profit arts organization to move to Lower Manhattan after 9/11 and plays a critical role as a resource for the dance community, as well as a renewing force in downtown Manhattan's cultural landscape.

For more information and press inquires please contact Amanda Szeglowski, Manager of Public Relations & Corporate Development at 212.625.8369 ext. 226 or visit www.dnadance.org.